CHAPTER BOOK CHAT: A BOOK CLUB FOR 3RD-5TH GRADERS

Join us twice a month at two locations for a book club designed just for the beginning chapter book readers.  Come and check out some fun and unusual stories which may be new to you.

This month we'll dive into the first of the Franny K. Stein: Mad Scientist series by Jim Benton.  We will begin reading the book at our first meeting and then discuss the book the second time we meet.   

Central, Children's Room:  1/15 & 1/29 at 4pm - 818-548-2035
Casa Verdugo: 1/16 & 1/30 at 4pm - 818-548-2047

FINDING YOURSELF IS MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT LOOKS

Rissa Bartholomew couldn't believe that she just told off all of her friends during her birthday party and right before starting middle school. Well, she did want to be an independent person, to think for herself rather than be one of the herd. Little did she realize how lonely and difficult it would be to find new friends and establish a new persona, especially if all she had to keep her company were her gnomes.

Rissa Bartholomew's Declaration of Independence by Lynda B. Comerford is a fun read for those who are coming of age and want to break out of the collective mold and begin their own self exploration as well as their world.

For readers in 6th - 8th grade.

BOYS, NOT A PROBLEM.

Everything in Annabelle's life is new this year.

New house.
New puppy.
New family (mom's boyfriend).
New school.
New classmates.

And what's new about that is having to deal with boys. You see, Annabelle was use to going to an all girl school, where there were no boys at all. But this year she got more boy trouble than she knows what to do with. She's done nothing but they always seem to be bothering her; kicking her chair, calling her names, and so on. She was miserable until she came up with a surefire method to make them behave better. Boys=Puppies. Training puppies=Happy home life therefore Training boys=Happy school life.


Boys Are Dogs by Leslie Margolis is a fun look at how one middle schooler deals with life's obstacles and discovers her voice. For readers in 5th grade and up.

ANOTHER GRAPHIC WINNER

Smile by Raina Telgemeier is a hilarious story of how Raina (yes, it's based on the author's childhood) deals with braces, missing teeth, and growing up. A graphic novel is the perfect way to share all the visual humor of this teenage trauma. I won't attempt to describe them since the author did such a great job already. Here are a few hilarious excerpts:

For readers in 5th grade and up.

JUST GRACE

If you like books that are written in a diary format then JUST GRACE AND THE SNACK ATTACK by CHARISE MERICLE HARPER will be one of the funniest books that ever read. It has pretty much everything in it. The story is about Grace, a very precocious girl who wants to make all kinds of things out of nothing and yet who gathers everything in her house to make something that doesn't resemble anything at all. In addition, there is also a lot of school drama that will make you eager to finish the book in one seating.

For grades 2nd-4th.

ARE YOU A MYSTERY AND PUZZLE FREAK?

Winston is a puzzle freak and the king of puzzles. thought he was being such a sensitive brother by getting Katie a wooden box for her birthday, but instead he got a lot of grief from his family because everyone couldn't figure out the words on the sticks left inside a secret compartment. The two decide to team up with other treasure seekers when they realized that the puzzle might lead to a million dollar treasure left by the librarian's father when he passed away. A fantastic scavenger hunt for those of you who like to watch "The Greatest Race". The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin

A puzzling call sets Winston and his two friends off on another whirlwind adventure looking for clues and cracking codes so their school can win the big prize, $50,000! Can they beat the other schools and find the person who is cheating? the second installment is full of the same fun and excitement. The Potato Chip Puzzles by Eric Berlin